ABOUT

Who is the sci-fi guy...

Zach Tomlinson is a kid from rural Oregon who found a passion for science in the wealth of the natural world around him. From working on a farm to testing halobacteria with lethal levels of radiation, he was always finding new ways to bring science into his life.

This curiosity eventually led Zach to MIT where he got his degree in Bioengineering and created lasting connections with some of the brightest scientific minds in the world.  It was also at this time when he realized his true love for the entertainment industry, and thus a massive change of life-plan was in order.

Zach came straight to Hollywood after graduating in 2013 and worked in several areas of production before finding his niche as a screenwriter. And it was while working with the people tasked with creating the worlds our cherished films and television shows present that he noticed something: writers don't know anything about science.

Now, on the surface there's nothing wrong with that, you don't need to know science to write a script. But in our current society where science-fiction has never been more popular, and science-illiteracy never so rampant, it needs to be our responsibility to depict scientific content in a way that informs the audience rather than misleading them, and respects the fundamental rules of the universe. 

The other problem Zach noticed is that even when screenwriters or productions take the step of hiring a professional consultant through wonderful organizations like The Science and Entertainment Exchange, there is a communication issue that arises. Professional researchers and academics are not used to passing ideas on to an audience that does not already have a science background. And likewise, Zach noticed that creatives would mistake their efforts to describe something in a simple way as a sign that it was boring. Instead they have a habit of seizing on concepts that may actually be wrong for what they are trying to do, just because they are easy to convey in a visual medium. Clearly some sort of mediator was sorely needed.

That is just what Zach set out to do. He created The Sci-Fi Guy in order to provide individual creatives and entire productions with a mediating voice between scientists and creative professionals. Someone knowledgeable with both industries and capable of conversing in their respective languages to ensure that nothing is lost in translation and that the product is as entertaining and scientifically accurate as possible. On top of this, he also provides individual scientific consulting at lower rates to independent writers and producers using his own background as well as his vast network of contacts across all areas of academia to make sure that productions of any budget can depict science responsibly.

So whether you are the producer of a summer blockbuster dealing with consultants you don't understand, or an independent screenwriter struggling with breaking down a difficult concept, The Sci-Fi Guy can help. Contact us today!